YouTube Red Could Be A Game-Changer If It Can Establish Itself Against Spotify, Especially With Its Free Chromecast Offer

YouTube Red, the premium subscription service from YouTube, has recently launched in Australia along with a music app. With the subscription to the premium service, users can not only watch their favorite videos without advertisements, they can also save the videos for offline playback. Additionally, the service allows users to answer messages without stopping the playback on their mobile phones.

YouTube Red comes with the promise of streaming exclusive and original content from some of the biggest stars on YouTube. And to top it all off, the premium service will optimize the usage of the newly launched YouTube Music to allow users to listen to playlists and audio-only versions of some content in a free-flow manner without advertisement breaks and with a provision for offline listening.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, YouTube Red members will get premium access to Google Play Music and existing Google Play subscribers will get YouTube Red without spending any extra, as YouTube is owned by Google.

According to Techno Buffalo, YouTube recently sweetened the deal by offering YouTube Red subscribers a free Chromecast. It appears that the free Chromecast isn’t available to those who access YouTube Red via an existing Google Play Music subscription, so it seems that the aim of the promotion is to target those users who specifically signed up for the new YouTube Red streaming service.

YouTube Red may turn out to be a game-changer in the streaming music market if YouTube can establish itself as a major competitor for Spotify, which is currently strengthening its position by making the big push in video streaming by releasing its first ever lineup of original shows. According to the Next Web, Spotify recently started showcasing video from around the web, but this will be the first time the company produces original media.

On similar lines, YouTube Red, in collaboration with New Form Digital, has finished producing Single by 30, an eight–episode romantic comedy show featuring Harry Shum Jr. and Kina Grannis.

According to Tube Filter, the series is based on the story of two high school friends who promise to marry each other if they remain single by the age of 30. The production team dropped a test episode on their YouTube channel as part of the New Form’s Incubator series initiative, and the pilot quickly gathered nearly two million views. Streaming original content like Single by 30 is sure to give YouTube Red an edge over the competition in the streaming content market.

YouTube Red has targeted Australia as its first market outside the U.S., and it will be a great opportunity for the company to test the popularity and the profitability of the service. For Australians, the subscription rate until June 6 was AU $9.99 per month, after which the rate increased to AU $11.99. Additionally, all users can sign up for a free month-long trial to test out the new features.

YouTube seem to be targeting content-hungry consumers who have been looking for a method of streaming while they are offline, as well as the ability to use other applications on their mobile devices while continuing to stream content. YouTube hedged their bets that there would be heavy demand in the Australian market for its services even though there isn’t any currently original Australian content in its offerings.

YouTube marketers envisage that there would be a tremendous potential to deliver content like remixes, lyric videos, dance videos, and live performances that are unique to Australia, as 90 percent of Australian YouTube content is watched abroad. The venture promises to be an excellent opportunity for Australian musicians and content partners to reap benefits and profits from the premium service. According to Mashable Australia, the app will appear more attractive to consumers if it able to eliminate videos in the playlists that Australians cannot access.

Australian YouTube viewers have long faced the problem of accessing content that has been restricted due to geo-blocking. In the end, YouTube Red will provide a platform that can be used to stream content provided by phenomenal content creators who are just waiting to rise to stardom through their unique films, TV shows, and documentaries.